Justice News

Deli Owner And Co-Conspirator Found Guilty Of Conspiring To Set Fire To Rival Deli

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”), James P. O’Neill, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), and Daniel A. Nigro, Commissioner of the New York City Fire Department (“FDNY”), announced today that REDHWAN SALEH and ANTOINE BOSTICK were convicted by a jury in connection with their participation in an arson in the Bronx, New York. The verdict followed a four-day trial before the Honorable William H. Pauley III.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “A unanimous Manhattan jury has found Redhwan Saleh guilty of planning and paying three men to execute the arson of a competing deli in his Riverdale neighborhood. Saleh and his co-defendant, Antoine Bostick, have found out the hard way that playing with fire usually leads to getting burned, and possibly prison.”

ATF Special Agent-in-Charge Ashan M. Benedict said: “The callous actions of Redhwan Saleh and Antoine Bostick caused extensive damage to property and could have resulted in serious injury or harm to first responders and the general public. Thanks to the efforts of the ATF/ NYPD/ FDNY Arson and Explosive Task Force, the individuals responsible were brought to justice. I would like to thank the United States Attorney’s office for their work in prosecuting this case.”

According to allegations in the Superseding Indictment, other filings in Manhattan federal court, and the evidence presented at trial:

SALEH owns a deli near the intersection of 242nd Street and Broadway in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. After SALEH learned that a competing deli was about to open a few stores down from his, SALEH paid three men, including BOSTICK, to set the new deli on fire. On September 11, 2016, a few weeks before the new deli opened, BOSTICK climbed onto the new deli’s roof, poured gasoline down the vent pipe, and lit the gas on fire. The new deli and a neighboring store both suffered extensive fire damage and the new deli’s opening was substantially delayed.

In addition to SALEH and BOSTICK, two other individuals have been convicted in connection with this case. ARTHUR CHERRY pled guilty to conspiracy to commit arson and arson, among other crimes. RICHARD SANCHEZ pled guilty to conspiracy to commit arson.

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SALEH, 37, of Brooklyn, New York, was convicted of conspiracy to commit arson, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and arson, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. SALEH will be sentenced by Judge Pauley on March 15, 2019.

BOSTICK, 32, of New Rochelle, New York, was convicted of conspiracy to commit arson, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. BOSTICK was found not guilty of arson. BOSTICK will be sentenced by Judge Pauley on March 15, 2019.

The statutory maximum and minimum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for information purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants would be determined by the judge.

Mr. Berman praised the investigative efforts of the Strategic Explosive and Arson Response Task Force of the ATF, the NYPD, and the FDNY.

The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Adam S. Hobson and Thomas McKay are in charge of the prosecution.